


it's paradise as long as I'm with you

by thotsandfeelings



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Smut, a study in which these idiots finally talk about everything, post ep for 7x19: Transition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:48:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27621598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thotsandfeelings/pseuds/thotsandfeelings
Summary: Hawaii.
Relationships: Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 19
Kudos: 143





	it's paradise as long as I'm with you

"May I just say; a truly excellent notion."

"It was Sam's."

"Of course."

"The vacation. The going with you part was all me."

* * *

When they finally get to the hotel, Donna strips to her underwear without a word and collapses face first onto the bed, falling asleep instantly.

Josh just chuckles at her softly, dropping their bags on the floor and following her lead by taking his pants and button-up shirt off. He picks up Donna’s clothes, knowing how she is about wrinkles, and lays them over the back of a chair before crawling into bed beside her and letting sleep draw him under.

* * *

The next morning, Donna wakes before him and looks at the clock behind Josh’s head on the bedside table blinking 10:27am. She yawns and looks at him, sleeping so peacefully, his arm wound around her waist possessively, and she smiles to herself. A wave of warmth floods through her and she reaches out to affectionately brush some hair that's matted to his forehead. His mouth is slightly open and he’s got a pillow crease on his cheek, so instead of waking him like her libido wants her to, she lets him sleep. She slips out of his hold and throws on his discarded button-down from yesterday, smiling when she sees he laid her clothes on the chair so they didn’t wrinkle. She walks over and opens the French doors that lead to a private balcony and she steps into the mid-morning sunshine, the most beautiful view she’s ever seen greeting her.

Her breath actually catches in her throat as the ocean waves roll across the sandy beach below her. When Josh had called her from work, asking her if she was free for the week and to pack as many bikinis as she could, she really was not expecting this.

She turns around to get a better look at the room and is surprised by the luxury. She’d figured he had put them up in a lower level hotel or something, not paying attention last night when the cab had dropped them off, but this was pure elegance. Like the kind of elegance the big-wig donors from Hollywood are used to. The room was open and airy, sheer white curtains flapping from the breeze coming through the open door, and the king sized 4-poster bed was piled high with down-feather pillows. She makes her way to the bathroom and gasps a little when she turns on the light and sees inside.

There’s a massive tub in the center by the windows and a glass-enclosed rain shower off to the side. Marble covers every inch and there’s a silver tray in between the sinks on the vanity with a ‘welcome!’ note and a bottle of champagne. She grins when she opens the closet and finds two fluffy white robes. She thumbs them, making plans in her head for later before shutting the closet door and padding back out to the bedroom. She bypasses a quietly snoring Josh and swipes the newspaper he never read on the plane before making her way back out to the balcony, plopping into a chair under an umbrella so she doesn’t burn.

An hour later, Donna sets the paper down after she’s done making her notes on the articles she found interesting or important. She stands, stretching her arms above her head, and makes her way back inside the suite. 

Josh has rolled over onto his back with a pillow covering his head and a wicked grin slides over Donna’s face. She takes off his shirt she’s been wearing along with the rest of her clothes and she slowly crawls her way up his body, planting soft kisses on the bare strip of stomach showing between his shirt and boxers.

He stirs beneath her ministrations, groaning when she licks a path up his neck and pulls an earlobe with her teeth.

“Good morning,” she whispers, moving the pillow hiding him from her off to the side, and presses kisses across his cheekbone. 

His hands run up the back of her thighs, stopping on her bare ass and pressing down so she can feel his arousal.

“You’re trying to kill me,” he grunts and he works his hands up her back and shoulder. She kisses his mouth then, not caring about morning breath and he comes more to attention underneath her.

She pulls back and rubs herself against him. “Not today, my friend.”

He flips them suddenly so he’s on top of her and her giggle makes him warm all the way down to his toes. She runs her fingers lovingly through the hair that’s overgrown at the nape of his neck and he moans again when she tickles that sensitive spot behind his ear, leaning down to catch her lips with his.

He feels her legs hitch higher around his torso, her deft toes trying to pull down his boxers. He reaches behind him to pull his shirt off by the collar and when he’s finally naked, she flips them again, grabbing his hands with hers and lacing them together. She brings their joined hands up and over his head, moving him so he’s holding onto the bars of the headboard instead of her.

“Stay,” she whispers and she kisses a line down his neck to his bare chest. When she circles one of his nipples with her tongue, he hisses and moves to hold the back of her head.

“No touching,” Donna says, lifting his hand back over his head and he whines her name. 

“I thought you said no murder would be committed today.”

“Patience is a virtue, Josh. Isn’t that the whole reason why we’re here right now? So you can calm down and get your blood pressure below psychopathic levels?”

She continues down his body once she sees his fingers wrap back around the headboard, knuckles white.

“Yeah, but I don’t think cardiac arrest is what the doctor ordered either.”

She dips her tongue into his belly button and his hips jump. She smiles and draws her tongue across his hip bones, sucking a mark into one. He murmurs her name when her breath hits his straining erection, but she doesn’t pay it any mind, just keeps pressing feather-light kisses to his thighs and he squirms again.

“I never said I wasn’t going to get your heart racing,” she says and she looks up at him, her eyes dark. She blows cool air over him, thick and pink with arousal coursing through his veins, and he moans loudly. Josh breaks eye contact and throws his head back onto the pillows, his grip on the headboard so tight that his biceps twitch with the effort. 

“Please,” he whispers, thrusting slightly to get her where he needs her most.

Donna relents then, placing a soft kiss on the tip of him, and his body arches as he lets out another loud hiss. She runs her tongue up the underside of his dick and cups his balls in her hand, squeezing them gently. 

“Shit,” he pants when she finally takes him into her warm mouth fully. She keeps one hand on him, her fingers exploring the sensitive skin under his balls, listening to and feeling his reactions to her. She hasn’t been able to do this for him yet, both of them more interested in the main event during their past trysts, and she’s been dying to get him reduced to single syllables and incoherent grunts. He lets out a low moan when her fingernail scratches a particular spot where his leg and torso meet. She rubs it again while she starts to bob her head up and down the full length of his penis, her tongue licking at his slit, tasting the salt of his pre-cum, and his lower body levitates.

“Fuck, Donna,” he whines and she looks up just in time to see his eyes roll back into his head. She hums around him and he shouts her name, reaching a hand down to run through her hair.

“What did I say?” she asks, taking away her mouth as his fingers glide over the back of her head.

“Please,” he whimpers. “Let me touch you.”

Donna leans all the way off of him then and he lets out another whine.

“If you can’t listen—“

“You’re evil,” he heaves, absolutely breathless, but he reaches back up to grasp the headboard again.

“Good boy,” Donna murmurs and his dick twitches at her praise. She files that away for later and reaches out to run her hands up his length, pumping him a few times as he moans her name again. She leans up to kiss his chest, paying close attention to the scar running up the middle. Josh whimpers when she leans off of him and over the side of the bed. She makes quick work of the condom and he writhes beneath her as she makes her way up his body and he yelps when her wet center makes contact with him. She slowly grinds over him, teasing them both, and she moans when he thrusts his hips up against her. 

She kisses him hard then and using the hand that’s still wrapped around him, she guides him inside her, his moan mixing with hers as she seats herself fully on top of him.

“God, you’re so fucking wet,” he pants and the bars on the headboard squeak ominously.

“You feel so good,” she says, sitting still as she slides her hands up to cup her breasts and pinch her nipples lightly. “I always knew you’d feel incredible.”

He grunts her name again and thrusts into her a little. “Baby, you gotta move or I’m gonna—” and his eyes slam shut as she rocks on top of him, lifting almost all the way off before sinking back down slowly. It’s her loud moan that pierces the silence this time and she can’t help it when she picks up the pace, her breasts bouncing a little with the movement.

“Look at me,” she says breathlessly and his eyes open, wild and dilated from desire, to meet her gaze. She runs her palm up his chest and she wraps her fingers where his neck and shoulder meet, her thumb caressing the column of his throat. She gasps when he suddenly thrusts up into her, hitting that spot deep inside.

She puts slight pressure on his throat and braces herself against his chest with the other hand, slamming herself down on him and setting a relentless pace. The sound of skin against skin mixes with their pants and moans as she rides him mercilessly. Josh is completely submissive beneath her, his eyes rolling back and mouth open in ecstasy as he holds onto the headboard for dear life. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” he moans, “Donna, don’t stop.”

So, she doesn’t. She takes her hands off of him and places them on his thighs behind her, effectively changing the angle and she whines when his pelvis hits against her clit.

“You’re so fucking hot, I swear to god, you’re gonna make me lose my goddamn mind,” he pants, pulling against the headboard with all his strength and she smiles. “Shit, you’re so tight, I’m—“

He cuts off when she swirls herself around him and speeds up involuntarily when he hits that spot again, spreading warmth down to her toes.

“Are you gonna come for me?” she asks and he moans again.

“I’ll do whatever you want.” She feels his cock swell inside of her and she reaches down to pat at her clit. “ _Shiiiiit_ , I’m gonna– fuck, I’m gonna come.”

Donna rubs against herself as she feels him throb inside of her again, her own orgasm exploding not a second later. She lets out a groan as she clamps down on him, milking him for all he’s worth. His eyes are shut tight and his mouth is hanging open as his hips lift off the bed, automatically trying to chase the sensation, to make it last as long as possible.

Donna falls forward a little, every nerve ending a live wire and he takes her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, his teeth scraping gently and she feels another smaller orgasm sweep through her, making her toes curl and she lets out a loud whine.

When she starts to make the descent back to earth, she slides her hands up his arms and loosens his grip on the headboard to bring them back around her. He follows willingly, running his warm palms up and down her still quivering body as they both cool down and try to catch their breath. She lets him slip out of her with a slight hiss and she collapses fully then, her face burrowed into his neck. She might’ve fallen asleep, she isn’t sure, but she comes to when he moves her to take care of the condom and presses a sweet kiss to her forehead, whispering “thank you”.

Donna laughs out loud and kisses his neck, her body too tired to move further up to his mouth. He shifts them slightly so they lay on their sides, her leg still wrapped around his hip. She looks at him, his eyes are bright and a lazy, sated smile is working its way across his lips. 

“Anytime,” she whispers, summoning the energy to kiss him properly this time.

“I think we should give the headboard a break for now.”

“Hmm, I’m kind of disappointed you didn’t break it.”

“Don’t doubt me yet, there’s still plenty of vacation left.”

Donna hums again and runs her fingers through his chest hair. “Speaking of, this place is incredible. You really didn’t need to go to all this trouble. I mean, the bed _alone_ is—“

Josh cuts her off with another kiss. 

“It’s no trouble. Really,” he implores when he sees her skeptical look. “Don’t worry about money or anything this week, okay? I got a lot of time to make up for, so, please, just let me do this for you.”

“But—“

“Donna, I’m serious. I don’t want you to have any thoughts in your head this week apart from ‘wow, the ocean is so beautiful’ or ‘Josh is so handsome, I must bed him immediately’.”

She swats him for that, but only gently before wrapping her arm across his waist, hugging him to her tightly.

“I’ll try my best,” she relents and settles onto his chest. 

She breathes him in deep and they let their hands roam for a while, content to just lay in bed together. Josh leans down so he can reach her lips and kisses her slow and deep. He lets his tongue glide over hers, sucking on it a little, and she sighs against him happily, her body going completely lax under his ministrations. She doesn’t stop him this time when he runs his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp lightly. She just keeps kissing him and lets her own fingers whisper over the cleft of his ass and he shivers a little. She smiles when she feels him twitch against her stomach. She rolls them over so he’s on his back and quirks an eyebrow at him.

“I thought you wanted to give the headboard a break?”

He kisses her again and shifts on the bed, making her get up on all fours above him. When he pulls back, he’s got a devious look in his eye and he moves to trail kisses down her neck and chest, her breasts swinging freely over him. 

“It’s your turn,” he murmurs and he runs his hands up her arms, guiding her fingers to wrap around the bars of the headboard. Donna groans as he scoots down the bed beneath her, kissing and sucking every inch of skin he comes across. 

“Josh,” she whines, pulling against the bars when his nose runs across her curls. “I wanna– _ohhhh,_ that feels good.”

“You wanna what?” He asks, dropping a wet kiss onto her inner thigh and smirking against her skin.

“The ocean,” she pants and her hips arch when he lightly licks a stripe up the cleft of her leg. “We should go see the ocean.”

“Mhmm,” he hums, but Josh just continues licking and sucking on the outer skin of her folds.

He brings his hands up and opens her up to him, her sex pink and glistening with new wetness, and he licks fully up her slit. Donna falls onto her elbows, her hips rolling down to try and get closer to him and he hears the bars she’s holding onto lurch with the effort. 

“Go easy,” he murmurs, kissing her mound. 

“Josh,” she breathes, “we should go see volcanoes and– oh, _fuck_.”

He starts rolling his tongue over and over on her clit, spreading her skin taut so he has full access, and the rough friction from his five o’clock shadow makes her hips jump. 

“Ohmygod, fuck yes yes _yes_ ,” she hisses and her stomach clenches. 

She starts thrusting against his face in time with his tongue, her breathing heavy and her moans incoherent. Josh continues to suck on her skin, and her moans are muffled a little by the pillow under her face. Josh reaches up blindly and tugs on the pillow so he can throw it off the bed. 

“I wanna hear you,” he says and goes back to his ministrations. He moves his hands to grab her thighs and squeeze her ass for a moment before going back to spreading her skin with his thumbs. 

Her back arches and she moans his name loudly as he zeroes in on her clit. He licks at her steadily as her heavy breathing and moans bounce around the suite. He groans into her opening when he feels her walls contract and her orgasm washes through her. She thrusts against him and he lays his tongue over her clit, letting her guide her movements and she whines above him, her hips stuttering as she pulls on the headboard again. 

“Shit,” she hisses as her hips start to slow down against his face. “Oh, my god.”

Josh holds her still and hums against her. She lets out a long sigh before collapsing more onto her arms sleepily. Josh maneuvers himself out from underneath her and turns her over onto her back. He smirks when he sees her blissed out face and he leans down to kiss her. 

“You know, a girl can get used to multiple orgasms every morning,” she says, still a little breathless.

He chuckles and kisses her again for a long moment. He feels himself getting hard again, so he peels himself away from her to stand at the end of the bed, knowing if he doesn’t, they’ll just end up staying in the suite all day. 

“Are you hungry? We can get room service or do you want to go find brunch somewhere?” he asks, walking toward the bathroom. He pauses when he flicks the light on. “Holy shit. This bathroom looks like a damn castle.”

Donna laughs and rolls onto her stomach to stare at him as he turns around, his eyes wide with amazement. 

“Didn’t you look at anything before booking this place?”

“It all happened so fast, I just told Bram to book somewhere nice. I didn’t realize he put us up in Windsor Palace.”

“Wait until you see the view from the balcony,” she says.

“There’s a _balcony_?!”

He grabs his boxers from the floor, pulling them on despite Donna’s complaining, and opens the french doors leading out to the small terrace. He whistles lowly and steps out of the suite and Donna covers her eyes comically. “Watch it,” she teases. “You could blind someone with that ghost like pallor you’re rockin’.”

He turns around and gives her a look before turning back and closing his eyes, angling his head toward the sun, and he stretches. “God, this place is beautiful.”

Donna props herself up and drags the sheet up to cover herself as she watches him take in the island view. He leans against the railing and the wind blows his wild hair off his head and she thinks to herself that this is the calmest she’s seen him in months if not years. She calls his name after a while and he whips around.

“Breakfast?” she reminds him and he smiles before making his way back over to her. 

“There’s a place right below us with a bunch of outdoor seating,” he says. “Let’s go there.”

He leans back over her and she cups his face gently in her hands. “I need to shower,” she murmurs, “and you need to shave.”

“I didn’t hear any complaints earlier about my stubble,” he says, smirking when she pinches his ear. “Do you wanna shower first or can I?”

Donna brings his face forward to kiss him quickly before pushing him back so she can roll off the bed. She saunters past him into the elegant bathroom and turns around when she’s in the doorway. “I think we can both fit, don’t you?”

He grins and wastes no time in grabbing her hips and nudging her toward the huge walk-in shower.

“Good idea.”

* * *

The next couple days are filled with sight-seeing and more hiking than Josh has ever done in his life. He takes her to see volcanoes and she convinces him to take a boat ride up the coast where he proceeds to ask the captain to pull over so he can talk to the Naval officers at the base they float by. 

“Josh, honestly, this is a vacation.”

“What?” he argues, begrudgingly sitting back down in their seats at the front of the boat. “We might be in a war soon, Donna, they’re the ones to talk to about movement in Russia.”

“Just sit down and enjoy the view. CJ is still Chief of Staff, let her worry about the Russians.”

They eat delicious sea food and Hula pie and Josh gets fully into the spirit of the luau, sporting his tropical shirt and sipping on fruity drinks out of a coconut while he keeps his hand on her thigh as they watch the locals dance. 

Donna had planned on zip-lining on their fourth day, but Josh had begged and pleaded for a lazy day. 

“I’ve been on a campaign diet and exercise regime for 18 months, Donna. Have mercy,” he whines, tugging on her hand. “Let’s just go to the beach. I know you have about 5 bikinis in that suitcase that I still need to ogle you in.”

She snorts, but gives in and they make their way down to the sand. The resort offers free chairs and umbrellas, so Donna goes with the worker to pick their spot while Josh heads to the bar for some drinks. 

“Can I get, uh–” Josh lowers his sunglasses to see the menu, “two Hurricanes, I guess. Why the hell not.”

The bartender smiles. “Comin’ right up.”

Josh turns back to the water and spies Donna as she fights with her towel against the breeze and he chuckles. 

“You two on your honeymoon?” the bartender asks and Josh whips his head around.

“What?”

“Honeymoon,” the woman repeats, shaking their drinks in a mixer. “Or anniversary?”

“Uh,” Josh says dumbly. “No, we’re not– this is actually kind of our first date. Well, day four of our first date.”

“Wow. Pulling out all the stops, huh? Lucky girl.”

“Yeah,” Josh says distractedly as he turns back to look at Donna. “She’s pretty great.” He smiles and grabs the drinks. “You can put these to room 610.”

“On the house,” the bartender says. “First date special.”

Josh just smiles and raises the glasses in a silent cheers before making his way over to the chair next to Donna’s. 

“Here you go,” he murmurs and she opens her eyes, smiling at him before taking one of the drinks out of his hands. She’s a little surprised when he leans in farther and gives her a kiss before flopping onto his lounger.

“Thanks,” she says, smiling at him a little longer than necessary before taking a sip and she hums appreciatively. She pulls a book out of her bag and settles in.

“You brought a book?” Josh asks, disrupting her before she can even flip to the page she left off on. 

“Yeah, why?”

He shrugs. “I didn’t bring a book.”

“I thought you wanted to ogle me.”

Josh pushes his sunglasses down his nose as he looks at her. There’s a little bead of sweat making its way down her chest that he pays real attention to until it rolls off onto the towel beneath her. He licks his lips and feels his swim trunks get tighter. He pushes his sunglasses back up and faces the ocean. “You’re too hot, Donna, I’ll just end up fireman carrying you back to the room.”

She smirks and stretches her foot out on the chair. “So, I shouldn’t ask you to put sunblock on my back when I roll over later?”

“I never said that.”

“You could take a nap,” she suggests and he huffs.

“You’re practically naked next to me. A nap doesn’t seem likely, does it?”

“You fell asleep just fine with me all the way naked next to you last night.”

He grins and reaches over to run his palm over her thigh. “That’s the only way I plan on falling asleep from now on.”

Donna hums and goes back to her book as Josh starts to tap against her skin with his finger restlessly. After she re-reads the same paragraph for the fourth time, too distracted by the man next to her, she peers over at him. He’s chewing on his bendy straw while staring at the ocean and Donna thinks that too much time in his own mind will only mean trouble later, so she calls his name.

“Yeah?” he says, his voice muffled by his mouthful of Hurricane.

“I put today’s Post in there for you.”

He perks right up, taking his warm hand off her leg, and rummages around her bag until he finds the newspaper. “Civilization,” he whimpers and she rolls her eyes.

“Appreciate it while it lasts,” she says, taking another sip of her drink. “The second I hear any whining, I’m throwing it in the ocean.”

Josh grins, already hiding behind the paper. “Do you have a pen in that magical bag of yours? I wanna send some stuff to Sam when I email him later.”

“Yes, and a couple highlighters.”

“Honestly,” Josh says, his voice tinted in amazement, “you’re the perfect woman.”

“Don't ever forget it.”

Donna goes back to her book and is able to get through 6 chapters before she hears Josh sigh and fold the newspaper back up before putting it back in her bag. 

“Well?” she asks. “Is the Constitution still intact?”

Josh scrubs his hands over his face. “Only just.”

“Anything about VP?” 

“No, I told Lou to steer away from it until we get back.” 

Donna closes her book, a chunk of last month’s bank statement as her bookmark, and she rolls over onto her stomach. 

“Josh,” she says, reaching behind her to untie the bikini top off her neck, “will you grab the sunscreen out of my bag and…” she gestures vaguely behind her.

He sits up and snags the bottle before sitting down on her chair. He squeezes some into his hands and helps her take off the top completely before he rubs the sunscreen into her back. She kicks her legs up behind her, gently tapping him on the shoulder with her heel. 

“Legs, too.”

She sighs happily as he runs his hands down, palming her ass for a moment, and running down her thighs and calves. He squeezes more sunscreen onto his hands and massages her legs. Once she’s well-lathered, he gives her ass one more love tap before closing the lid on the sunblock and throwing it in her bag. 

“You want another drink?” he asks, grabbing their empty glasses from the short table between their chairs. 

“Yes, please,” she murmurs and she turns her face toward him. 

“‘Kay,” he says and he kisses her quickly. “Don't go anywhere.”

Donna smiles and closes her eyes, letting her mind wander. She hears Josh come back after a few minutes and place the two refilled glasses down, but she keeps lounging. She swims in and out of consciousness as the sound of the waves act as a lullaby, and she comes to when a seagull cries above her. 

She opens her eyes and blinks before she rolls over to look at Josh. He’s reading the book she’d had earlier, his lips rolled together as he concentrates. Donna ties her top back on and gets up, nudging his shoulder so he’ll make room on his lounger for her. He scoots over as best he can, but Donna still ends up right on top of him, snuggling into his neck as he continues reading, using her back as an armrest. 

“Which part are you at?” she murmurs. 

“Not far. I’m still getting descriptions of the kid’s house.” Donna just hums and feels Josh’s free hand start tracing up and down her spine. “You sleepy?”

She nods. “You smell good.”

“I was sweating earlier. It’s a manly scent.”

“Mmm, my man.”

Josh closes the book and wraps both arms around her securely, cradling her as she starts to doze again. 

“Donna?” he asks, his voice just above a whisper. 

“Yeah.”

He tightens his hold on her. “ _Am_ I your man?”

She keeps breathing evenly and after a moment she slides her head back to try and look at him. “Do you want to be?”

Josh brings a hand up and traces the newly sprouted patch of freckles across her nose. He nods his head and whispers, “yeah, I do”.

“Then yes,” she says simply, smiling and tucking her face back into his neck. “You’re my man.”

* * *

Donna is leaning back against Josh while they watch the performer on the makeshift stage in front of them. After laying out all day, they’d gone back up to the suite to quickly throw on some clothes over their still-dry swimsuits and head down to a restaurant right outside the resort that had live music playing. They’d had some kalua pork and another Hurricane and she was feeling comfortably warm. She feels Josh unwind his arms from around her belly and squeeze her hips. 

“Let’s go for a walk,” he murmurs in her ear, stepping back and reaching for her hand. 

“Do you even know where you’re going?” she asks, following him through the small throng of people and onto the sand behind them. He wraps his arm around her waist and pinches her side. 

“The resort is right there. Have a little faith, alright?”

She just grins and takes off her shoes, throwing them in her beach tote before wrapping both arms around him and leaning into his side. They walk for a ways silently, nothing but the waves and a stray chicken making a sound. She steers them closer to the tide and lets go of him when she sees a medium sized piece of sea glass. 

“Some cultures consider seaglass to be mermaid tears, you know.”

“What do mermaids have to cry about?”

“Well, if they fell in love with a sailor, Neptune would banish them to the deepest part of the sea and they’d cry over their broken hearts. The tears would float to the surface, housing their love for their sailor, and they come ashore as seaglass, so the sailors will find them and have a token of sorts for their lost love.”

“So that’s a token for some merman’s love for you?”

She smirks. “No, this is from a Coke bottle,” she says and throws the broken brown glass in her bag to recycle later. “You really gotta get pollution under control.” He rolls his eyes. “And I’m not a sailor,” she reminds him. 

“You dated one, you were on their radar.”

“Do you _want_ mermen to send me tokens of their love?” 

“They're missin’ out is all I’m sayin’. I’d cry you seaglass.”

She giggles and squeezes his middle. “That’s very sweet of you.”

“I have my moments.”

“This week has been a pretty big moment.” 

Josh stops walking and lets his hand slide down her arm until he’s holding hers. He squeezes her fingers as she turns to face him. He gives her a soft grin and pulls both her arms to wrap around his neck and he slides his to her waist. He doesn’t say anything as he steps closer and starts to sway them slowly. She looks over his face, happy to see the bags he’s been sporting for the past year are less pronounced under his eyes. He’s got a nice, healthy glow going on after their day in the sun, and there’s no tension being held in his shoulders. 

“You look happy,” she comments, moving her fingers through his hair. 

“I am happy,” he says, his dimples deepening. “And not just from that incredible dinner.”

“It was _really_ good. We should definitely take some of that pork home with us.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“About bringing pork back to DC?”

He snorts. “About when we go home.” 

She groans and buries her face in his shoulder. “Can we just stay here? Everyone’s gonna know now.”

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t that freak you out?”

He shakes his head against her. “No. I never intentionally meant to hide you away or anything.”

“I know,” she says and she squeezes him tighter. “It’s just gonna be a thing. People are gonna talk.”

“You think they weren’t already before?” She smirks into his skin and he kisses the side of her head. “They’ve been talking for years, Donna.”

“Did anyone ever ask you directly?”

“If we were a thing?” She nods. “Once. Well, I guess twice. Jack was more subliminal about it.”

She leans back from him. “I knew about him. When was the other?”

He sighs and holds her a little tighter. “Germany.”

“Was it a nurse or…?“

“No, but I’m sure they thought we were together with the way I was acting. It was your photojournalist.”

“ _Really_?” 

Josh nods. “He thought it was a little strange that I flew all that way for my assistant.”

“I’m glad you did,” she whispers. They haven’t talked about Gaza or her leaving the White House and she knows they need to. She wants him to understand what was going on in her head and how much of a mess she was. She stops swaying and plants her hands on his shoulders. “I never thanked you properly for all you did for me.”

He shakes his head. “If it weren't for me, you wouldn’t have even—“

“Josh,” she says firmly, stopping him before he works himself up. “It wasn’t your fault. I never, ever blamed you. I never even _thought_ about blaming you.”

“Well, _I_ blame me. You have no idea how terrified I was when the news broke and I saw where I’d sent you,” he whispers, his fingers digging into her sides. “The look on CJ’s face when she told me… I was calling everyone and going insane when I wasn’t getting anywhere. And that _flight_. It felt like we were crawling through the air.”

Donna moves to play with his hair, trying to soothe him. “When I woke up and saw you, I thought I was dreaming.”

He smiles a little sadly. “It felt like a nightmare. Especially when you tried to throw that clot and I came to your room, with a dozen roses by the way, and found it empty with nothing but your blood on the damn floor. I thought I was too late, I thought you were—“

He cuts himself off and Donna pulls him to her again. “I begged them to let me see you,” she murmurs and kisses his shoulder. “I had to. Just in case.” His breath hitches when he says her name and his hold around her waist is vice-like. “You bought me roses?”

Josh nods his head against her and she breathes for a few moments, her emotions trying to get the best of her, but she wants to tell him, she _has_ to tell him. 

“When I woke up - the second time - I didn’t know where I was. I don’t know if it was the morphine or the traumatic event or being in the hospital or maybe all three, but my first thought was you. I knew if I could just get to you, then everything would be okay.” He exhales shakily and buries his face into her neck and she toys with his hair. “And I do know how terrified you were,” she murmurs and slides her hand under his shirt, finding his scar with ease. “I think I was flashing back to Rosslyn at some point, too. That’s part of why I had to see you, I had to make sure you were okay.”

“It felt like a hundred pound weight had been lifted off my chest when you finally woke up and said my name,” he says softly, his hands caressing her anxiously. “Like I could finally breathe again.”

Donna holds onto him tightly, her tears spilling over as she starts to get worked up. “Josh, I need you to know that I never meant to hurt you,” she says, her voice stained with emotion. “After I got home, everything was so jumbled and fucked up, I had no idea what was happening to me or why I was even _alive_ and I—“

“Hey,” he murmurs and he holds her as tight as he can. “You don’t have to apologize, Donna. Not to me. I’m the one who canceled all the meetings. I knew you were struggling, and I should’ve done what you did for me, but I tried so hard to just go back to normal even though I knew it wasn’t possible and I’m so sorry for that.” He takes a deep breath and rubs her back soothingly as her tears continue to fall against his neck. “I wasn’t ready. I flew across the ocean for you and I was too big a coward to face what that actually meant and I hoped I could delay the inevitable, but you left anyway. You were right to leave.”

“I shouldn’t have done it that way. I was angry and I took it out on you. We should never have been as strained as we were.”

“Maybe,” he says, squeezing her middle and kissing her temple. “Or maybe we were supposed to be separated for a while… have time to actually miss each other. Either way, we’re here aren't we? We got it together in the end.” Donna leans back finally and Josh reaches up to wipe her tears away before giving her a soft smile. She sniffs and holds onto his wrists, leaning her forehead against his as she starts to calm down. “I’m your guy, Donna. And you’re mine. We’re a team and I never should’ve held you back like I did. It was selfish and it wasn’t fair to you and I promise it’ll never happen again.” He kisses her forehead and wraps his arms back around her. “You have no idea how proud I am of you or how much I need you. Even during that period of time we weren’t on the same team, you were still keeping me on my toes and helping Will kick my ass.”

She laughs into his neck. “I’m tuned to you. I’m always one step ahead.”

“I know and it never stops being terrifying.” Donna laughs louder at that and leans against him heavily. “I’ve genuinely wondered if you were a witch.”

Donna hums. “Maybe I am.”

Josh holds her quietly for a long time, both of them just breathing together as the heavy moment settles around them. “Are we okay?” he asks softly and she nods her head against him. 

“We’re better than okay.”

Josh finally leans back and moves her hair out of her face, framing her cheeks to kiss her again before grabbing her hand and leading her farther up the beach, walking in silence for a while. 

“That's not what I meant when I said I wanted to talk to you about when we get home earlier, by the way.”

She grabs his hand with both of hers, her thumb rubbing his wrist. “What did you wanna talk about?”

“When we get back to DC, you should stay with me.”

She raises her eyebrow. “Sure, I mean my apartment will be free by the end of the month and I know CJ wants her place back, so we can work something out short term or—“

“No, Donna, I mean you should move in with me.”

Donna turns toward him and searches his gaze, but he’s weirdly calm, just giving her a soft, reassuring grin. 

“You want to move in together?” He nods. “Josh, you’ve never lived with a woman before. In fact, I took many messages from a woman who was pretty angry that you blatantly refused to even _consider_ moving in with her.”

“I’m not talking about past, and might I add - _failed,_ relationships, Donna. I’m talking about you and me. I want to live with you. I’m ready.”

“You are?” she asks skeptically. “Because less than a week ago you weren’t so sure about, well, anything.”

“Yeah, and then I slept for more than 3 hours and ate real food that wasn’t out of a vending machine and my communication skills are slowly starting to work again and I’m quickly getting used to waking up with you and I just–“ he shrugs and squeezes her hand. “I don’t know what I was ever unsure about. I want to be together. I want to do this for real.”

“Just like that?” she asks, a slow grin creeping across her face. 

“Don’t you wanna live with me?”

She bites her lip at his pout. “I have a couple conditions.”

“Name your price, Donnatella.”

“For one, absolutely no more chugging Red Bull. Actually, no energy drinks at all,” she amends. “You have to leave the OEOB no later than 8 until we’re in office. And,” she warns when he opens his mouth to argue. “I get to bring my chair.”

“That red monstrosity?”

“That’s the one,” she says and looks up at him expectedly. “Do we have a deal?”

He looks up to the sky for a moment, pretending to consider her offer and she rolls her eyes. He smirks down at her and squeezes her hand again. 

“Hell yeah we have a deal.” 

She grins, a breathless laugh escaping her when he leans in and kisses her. He rubs his hands up her sides and into her hair, and she sighs happily against him. She leans back after a moment and quirks an eyebrow at the look on his face. 

“What?”

A slow smirk slides across Josh’s face and before she can stop him, he throws her over his shoulder and marches them into the ocean. 

“Josh, no!” she yells, breathless from laughing, and she yelps when the cool water hits her legs. 

“Josh, yes!” he counters and he heaves her into the water. He laughs when she comes up for air and lets her dunk him, grabbing her waist so she can’t get too far. 

“You are a menace,” she says, but there’s a huge smile on her face and she wraps her legs around his waist as he wades them deeper. “You’re lucky I still have my bathing suit on under this dress.” 

“If I’m _really_ lucky,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss her deeply, “you won’t need any clothes.”

“You wanna have sex in the ocean?”

“I think the temperature of the water will make sure that never happens,” he says and she giggles. “But, y’know, you could warm me up back on dry land,” he murmurs and kisses her again. “It’s just so beautiful out tonight.” Donna looks up and her eyes widen when she sees the blanket of stars above them, but Josh keeps looking at her. “And we’re all alone.” He kneads her thigh, his breathing getting heavier when she shifts on his lap. “And I’m so completely in love with you right now.”

Her head snaps back down so she can look at him. “You’re _what_?”

He chuckles and leans in to kiss her jawline. “In love with you,” he whispers and her eyes well up again. 

“You’re in love with me?”

“‘Fraid so.”

“And we’re living together?”

“That’s the plan.”

She hauls back and smacks his arm. “Josh!”

“Ow!” he exclaims, rubbing his arm with an amused look on his face. “What was that for?”

“You can’t just have an extremely emotional conversation with me and then ask me to move in with you and then tell me you’re in love with me all in one night!”

“Why not?”

“Because a girl can only handle so much before she combusts,” she says incredulously, a pout forming on her face. “I already cried once tonight, I don’t want to do it again.”

Josh chuckles and kisses her again before walking them back toward the shore. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “You want me to save the last bit for tomorrow instead?”

“Absolutely not,” she says and she pulls him out of the water completely. He follows her over to her forgotten bag and his eyebrows raise when she pulls out a huge queen sized blanket from inside. 

“Are you sure you’re not a witch? Or Mary Poppins?”

Donna smirks, but doesn’t say anything, she just grabs him and lifts his soaked shirt up and off before doing the same thing to her dress, hanging them both on a bush behind them. Josh lets out a breath and steps back to admire the deep purple bikini she’s wearing as she grabs a towel, watching intently as the water droplets run down her skin. He toys with the string tied in a bow on her hip before she throws the towel over his head and dries his hair. She laughs when he whines her name and he moves the towel onto his shoulders. She grins and tugs on the ends of the towel to pull him closer. 

“Come here,” she says, her voice low and she sits down on the blanket, drying off her legs with the towel before pulling Josh on top of her. 

He kisses her deeply and smiles against her when she reaches back and unties the string around her neck, exposing her breasts, so he leaves her lips and kisses across her chest, flicking her nipple with his tongue and making her squirm. He keeps going downward, littering soft kisses to her stomach, smiling when he feels it flutter beneath him. He ignores her when she says his name and pulls his hair, but he looks up as he moves slowly to the tied string on her hip. He keeps eye contact as he grabs one of the strings with his teeth and pulls it loose. Her chest rises and falls more rapidly as he moves to pull the other side too, and he watches as her eyes roll back when he kisses the scrap of fabric hiding her from him. 

“Josh,” she murmurs, tugging his hair again. “Come up here, we don’t have time.”

“We have all the time in the world,” he argues, but he gives when she tugs his hair harder. He hauls himself up and kisses her again. 

“Save that for later,” she mumbles against his lips and he smirks when her fingers slip into his swim trunks. “I refuse to get caught with your face between my legs.”

He chuckles and moves to kiss a path down her neck as his hand reaches inside the bottoms still barely covering her. She moans his name when he rubs her folds and she pulls him more on top of her. 

“I love when you say my name like that.” He flicks her clit and she shivers before saying his name again breathlessly as her back arches. “And like that.”

“Take your pants off and I’ll say your name any way you want.”

He grins and leans back, only dropping his shorts far enough for her to pull him out. She pumps him a few times, thumbing the tip, and he lets out a shaky breath before his eyes pop open. 

“I don’t have a condom with me.”

“Josh,” she murmurs, cupping his cheek with her free hand, “you just told me you’re in love with me and we’re living together. We don’t need them, I have us covered.”

“You’re sure?”

She nods and smiles as she pulls him back down to kiss him. “Unless you’ve had a secret girlfriend during the campaign that I didn’t know about,” she teases, ”I’m sure.” She kisses his grin away, slower this time, both of them getting lost in the feeling of each other. “I trust you.” She kisses him again and he moans. “And I’m in love with you, too,” she whispers and she guides him into her. 

* * *

On their second to last day, they’re out to dinner at a casual local joint. They’re sitting in a corner booth and Josh slides out of his side and grabs his cup. 

“I’m gonna get some more iced tea, you want anything?” 

“I wouldn’t say no to one of those brownies.”

He just nods and heads to the cashier without another word. 

“Can I get two of those caramel brownies?” he asks as he reaches for his wallet. 

“You look familiar,” the cashier says, his eyes squinting as he looks at Josh. “Have I seen you on TV?”

“I’m Josh Lyman. I ran President-Elect Santos’ campaign.”

“That’s it,” the man says, pointing his pen at Josh. “Congrats by the way. I voted for your guy.”

Josh smiles. “I’m glad to hear that. He won’t let ya down.”

“I didn’t know you were married. Take those brownies on the house. Tell your wife thank you, too. I recognize her as well.”

Josh doesn’t say anything, just gives the cashier a closed lip smile, bowing away gracefully. He refills his iced tea and sits back down across from Donna, shaking his head and chuckling a little wryly. 

“What’s funny?” she asks, grabbing for one of the saran wrapped brownies. 

“I didn’t realize how much free stuff married people get.”

“Huh?” she asks, her mouth full with chocolate. 

“That’s the second person this trip who thought we were married and offered me free stuff because of it.”

“Who else thought we were married?”

“The bartender back at the resort. I told her we were technically on our first date, but still got that first round of Hurricane’s for free.”

“You really have to stop telling people this is our first date, Josh.”

“Why? They always think it’s so romantic,” he teases and nudges her knee with his under the table. “I mean, I know we’ve been on like, a billion dates at this point, but this is the first one where I get to kiss you. So,” he shrugs and stretches his arm across the back of the booth. 

“What do you mean we’ve been on a _billion_ dates? We’ve never gone on a date.”

“Please,” he says, his face scrunching in that indignant way of his. “We’ve gotten coffee, lunch, gone to damn near 100 black tie events,” he ticks off his fingers, “inaugural balls, dinner with my _mother,_ late night takeout in my office. Just to name a few. Those were all dates.”

“No they weren’t,” Donna says, completely amused by him, “but I love you for thinking that they were.”

“What the hell were they then?”

“They were _work_.”

“But _between_ the work, they were dates.”

She chuckles and lifts her legs onto his side of the booth, leaning back and crossing her ankles to tap his hip. “Josh, I can’t go on a date if I don’t know it’s a date. They don’t count.”

“Come on,” he argues, “you’re telling me that that lunch we had at that diner in Seattle during the second re-election round where we didn’t talk a word about work wasn’t a date? Or– or the dinner for your 29th birthday—“

“Sam was with us,” she interjects, but he’s determined now. 

“—the bowling alley in Cedar Rapids, the bar practically every other weekend. Rosh Hashanah with my mom 3 years ago. Those were dates, Donna.”

Donna looks at him before shaking her head and smiling softly. “You remember all of that?” 

“Donna,” he says, his voice disbelieving, and he grabs her hand. “I remember everything.” He squeezes her fingers. “I remember how devastated you were when you got strep and couldn’t go on the Cairo trip. Or that night you called me at 3 in the morning because your roommate was gone and you heard a noise in your kitchen.” She laughs at that, a little watery as her emotions swirl in her eyes. “I remember the way you took care of me after Rosslyn even when I started PT and was yelling at anyone for _breathing_ too loud. Or how you spent your Christmas with me that same year when I put my hand through a window because you didn’t want me to be alone.”

Donna can’t help it when she gets up and slides into his side of the booth instead, resting her head on his shoulder when he kisses her forehead. 

“So, you’ve just been a total pining sap this whole time, huh?” she teases and she can feel his eye roll even though she can’t see his face. 

“I didn’t _pine._ ”

“You were a forest full of Christmas trees, Joshua, with all that pining.” She twitches when he pinches her side and she sits up to look at him, her hand moving to turn his face toward her. “I remember everything, too.”

“Like what?”

“Like that time I got food poisoning from that Italian place and you came to check on me during the day even though it was crazy busy at work. Or any of the hundreds of times you walked me to my car at night because your irrational fear of someone kidnapping me in the middle of a well-lit, well- _guarded_ parking lot.”

“Hey, you can never be too careful.”

Donna smiles and grabs his hand again. “All those muffins you left on my desk and the late nights on buses and planes when we’d use each other as pillows…” She sighs and looks up at him. “I still don’t consider them _dates_ , but that doesn’t mean they didn’t mean the absolute world to me.” 

Josh searches her eyes and moves a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “You’re still the only one I let tie my bow ties.”

She smiles and scoots closer. “You know,” she murmurs, her fingers twiddling with a button on his shirt, “as much as I love helping you become so handsome…” She trails off and scratches lightly at the exposed skin of his chest from the open collar of his shirt. “I think taking them off you will soon eclipse that thrill.”

Josh smirks and squeezes her shoulder. “I think you’re right about that.”

She puts her finger under his chin, lightly guiding him closer so she can give him a quick kiss. He keeps his eyes closed, a smile still on his face, so she kisses him again before shifting and bringing her feet up on the seat of the booth and leaning fully against him, his arm across her protectively as she munches on the rest of her brownie before snagging his from the table. Josh kisses the back of her head and takes a drink of his iced tea. 

“Josh?” she asks after a minute, setting the saran wrap in a ball on the table and grabbing his hand with both of hers. 

“Yeah.”

“Do you remember when you pulled me into your office during the last inaugural ball–“

“And we got to dance for an entire song without being interrupted?”

Donna smiles and nods her head. “You had some lame 70s station on and made me listen to the Bee Gees.”

“Hey, the 70s was a great era of music, Donnatella. We had Freddie and Stevie Nicks and–“

“Disco?” she teases and Josh rolls his eyes and is about to argue when she squeezes his fingers. “That night was the closest we ever got to a real date. I mean, you even came to pick me up in a tux and everything.”

“Well, I know what women like.” She can’t help the small laugh that escapes her lips and his face scrunches in indignation. “What? I brought you here, didn't I? Are romantic vacations at a moment's notice not what women like?”

“Yes,” she says, pivoting so she’s facing him. “Of course they are, that’s not why I was laughing.”

“Why then?”

“Because,” she looks up at his sweet face, free and clear of all anxiety or feelings of being unsure, but still sparkling in that mischievous way of his. He looks as happy as she feels. “If you truly knew what women like then you would’ve kissed me after one of your so-called dates.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “You wanted me to?”

“Many times, but especially that night.”

His grin turns smug. “Snowballs really did it, huh?”

“Among other things.” 

Josh hums and tilts her chin up with his finger, thumb rubbing her cheek affectionately. “Guess I better start making up for all the ones I missed.”

She smiles. “Yes,” she whispers and closes her eyes as he leans in closer. “You should.” 

* * *

“Last day,” Josh says, coming up behind her on their balcony with a cup of coffee.

“Yeah,” Donna says, grabbing the cup in Josh’s other hand before leaning back against him. “Why didn’t we ever campaign here?”

“Flying a whole staff out here would cost about half of our total budget.”

“But it’d be _so_ worth it.”

“It’d be torture,” he argues, wrapping his hand around her stomach, “being here, but not being able to see it the way it deserves?”

She sighs. “I guess you’re right.”

“It’s a rare occurrence, I know.”

Donna chuckles and leans back to kiss his cheek. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“This view is gonna be hard to let go.”

He hums in agreement and sets his coffee cup down so he can wrap both his arms around her. “Give me a few years and we can retire here.”

She perks up and turns to look at him over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

He nods and kisses her shoulder. “Yeah. I’ll pull a Leo and go on a long lecture circuit, make some money, we’ll be good to go.”

Donna laughs and turns back to look out at the ocean. “I cannot imagine you retiring. I’m gonna have to pry the Constitution out of your cold, dead hands.”

“A week ago, I would’ve agreed with you, but now…,” he kisses her temple, “Now I know what it’s like to be in paradise with you. It’s gonna be hard to give up. I like having you all to myself.”

“I think you like having sex on a regular basis.”

“Donna, if twice a day is what you define as ‘regular basis’, I gotta tell you; I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep up when we’re back home.”

She nudges his stomach playfully. “Neither would I.”

“We can still have sex on a normal-regular basis though, right?”

“Yeah, I think I can pencil you in,” she teases before taking a sip of her coffee. Josh squeezes her middle. 

“Does that mean you’re taking Mrs. Santos up on her job offer?”

Donna turns around in his arms and leans against the railing as he cages her in. “I think so,” she nods and takes another sip of coffee. “What do you think?”

He smiles and licks his bottom lip, distracting her attention for a moment. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“Really?” she asks skeptically. “I mean–“ she sets the coffee cup down and pushes at his shoulders for some physical distance, “I’m not asking as Donna, your girlfriend. I’m asking you as someone who has worked closely with you for practically a decade and trusts you to give me the truth to my abilities. Take the emotion out of it for a minute.”

“I wasn’t thinking like your boyfriend,” Josh reassures, “though I do like that title. I was thinking like the White House Chief of Staff who is a little peeved that you’re not gonna be on my side of the building. You are a total asset, Donna. An irreplaceable one and you’re going to do amazing things for the First Lady. She’s incredibly lucky to have you.” 

“You really think so?”

“Yes,” he says, smiling widely at her and grabbing onto her hips. “Donna, I know first hand what it means to have you as a right hand, and lemme tell you, I wouldn’t have even made it through the campaign without you let alone 7 years in the White House. You were half of my office. I know I was an ass about 98% of the time and I didn’t show my appreciation enough and that’s where boyfriend Josh is coming in to rectify the mess, but it was never a question of whether you were good enough. You were _too_ good and I just couldn’t give you up.”

She murmurs his name and slides her arms around his neck to pull him closer. “You’re going to be a great Chief of Staff,” she says, massaging his shoulders and he smirks. 

“So are you,” he says and he leans forward to kiss her sweetly. “Besides, it just adds to our schmaltz factor. You can’t get better than Chiefs of Staff to the First Couple.”

“It is rather romantic, isn’t it?” she agrees, a smile growing on her face. 

Josh’s eyes grow soft and he rubs his hands up and down her arms. “You can do this, Donna. I believe in you.”

She sighs heavily and wraps him up in a real hug, burying her face against his shoulder. “I love you,” she whispers and Josh’s smile grows. 

“I love you, too.”

She pulls back after a moment to kiss him quickly before grabbing her coffee mug and heading back into the suite. 

“I’m thinking we go get a late breakfast and head to the pool for the afternoon,” she says. “How’s that sound?”

“Great, except I’d like to add another bullet point.”

She downs the rest of her coffee and sits on the side of the bed to flick through her travel planner. “What would that be?”

Josh grins, his dimples deep in his cheeks, and he grabs the planner out of her hands and brings her face up to kiss her deeply, his tongue running over her bottom lip and she grows limp beneath him, sighing happily and opening her legs so he can come closer. 

“I was thinking,” he murmurs, still kissing her thoroughly, “we stay right here.” He moves to lay her down on the bed, his hands stealing under the shirt of his that she’s wearing and running up and down the soft skin of her stomach. “And we just…” he cups her breast, tweaking her nipple, and making her moan quietly. “Stay naked all day instead.”

Donna hums and hooks her legs around his to pull him down so he’s laying on top of her, still kissing him. 

“I’ll give you nakedness until lunch time,” she pants, fisting his hair. “But we’re still going to the pool.”

Josh grins and finally slides the shirt off her. “Deal.”

* * *

“Well.”

“Yeah.”

“Here we are.”

“Yep.”

“Does it look different to you?”

Donna turns to look at him amusedly. “Different how?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Different.”

“We were only gone a week, Josh.”

“A lot can change in a week,” he says, squeezing her hand before heading up the stairs and into his apartment. 

“That is true. I mean, look at you. A week ago, you were fully zombified and now you’re–“

“Godlike?” 

“I was going to say ‘resembling a living human being’, but sure,” she teases as he unlocks the front door. She walks in before him and turns on some lights while he dumps their bags right by the front door.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, coming up behind her in the kitchen. “It’s not quite 6 yet, Joe’s shouldn’t take too long to whip up a nice pepperoni and mushroom.”

“Pizza’s good,” she replies, snagging a bottle of water from the fridge before making her way back to the bedroom. “Grab the bags, Joshua. I need to take a shower.”

“Just wear my clothes. Or, y’know, no clothes.” He smirks and dodges her shirt when she takes it off and flings it at his face before starting the shower. 

“I still need shampoo, conditioner, my face wash, body wash, and body scrub. All can be found in my bag that you so graciously dropped by the front door.”

“God, you’re gonna girlify the apartment, aren’t you?” he grumbles as he grabs her bag from the floor and brings it to her. 

“Potpourri, candles, and a fresh paint job will do this place wonders,” she replies distractedly as she roots through the bag. “I’ll plan time this week to go get some of my stuff from CJ’s and storage, but I’ll need a mover for the furniture.” Josh grumbles again and she smirks. “You agreed to the chair, baby doll.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

She’s about to shut the door when she turns around to find Josh shirtless and his belt buckle undone. She raises her eyebrows. “What are you doing?”

He freezes. “I was, uh–“ He points to the shower. 

“Josh, if you shower with me, we’ll end up skipping dinner in lieu of _other_ activities and I’m starving. You know I hate plane food.”

“Come on,” he whines. “I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

“Nope,” she says, pushing on his chest until he’s out the door. “You order pizza, I’ll shower, and then it’s your turn.” She shuts the door in his face. 

He mutters beneath his breath before turning around and grabbing his own bag and heading into the bedroom. He calls the pizza place, changes the sheets, and starts a load of laundry just as Donna steps out of the bathroom in just a towel. 

“Pizza’s on its way,” he tells her, eyes following her every move as she walks into the closet to change. 

“Go take a shower,” she says, her voice muffled as she pulls on a shirt. “And turn up the heat, it’s like we’re in Siberia or something.”

Josh waits for her to exit the closet and he grins when he sees her wearing one of his old college shirts and some sweat pants that are about three sizes too big for her. “You know, I think I like this better than the bikinis,” he says, reaching for her waist. 

She rolls her eyes, but hangs onto the back of his elbows as he steps closer. “What is it with men and women wearing their clothing?”

“It’s a primal thing,” he murmurs, leaning in to rest his face against her neck and he kisses her there softly as he thumbs the hem of the shirt she’s wearing. “Like you’re mine.”

“I’ve worn various pieces of your clothing before and it never brought on this response.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong.” He runs his nose along her jaw, his hot breath tickling her skin

“I think I would remember if my boss left a hickey on my neck,” she says and pushes on his shoulders so he doesn’t leave a mark. 

“Just because I couldn’t act on it doesnt mean the thought never crossed my mind.”

“What thought is that?” Donna asks, moving out of his arms to start to separate the pile of clothes on the floor. “’Me man, you woman’?”

“Well… yeah,” Josh says, his voice rising to a higher pitch and his arms widening. “If you wanna get to the basics of it, yes.”

“So, you’re telling me that all I had to do was borrow a coat or shirt from you and your defenses were weakened?”

“Instantly.”

“That’s good to know.” 

“Yes, I’m sure it is, so you can understand the turmoil I’m experiencing right now.”

Donna laughs and walks by him with an armful of laundry that she unceremoniously plops on the floor in front of the washer before moving back into the kitchen. She grabs a notebook from the table and starts rummaging through his barren cabinets, mentally making a list of groceries before hopping up on the counter and writing them down. She can feel Josh staring at her, but she keeps her eyes trained down. 

“Are you going to shower?”

“In a minute, I’m appreciating the moment.”

“What moment?”

“ _This_ moment,” he says and she looks up at him. “You’re wearing my clothes and you live here now, I’m soaking it all in.”

“Why don’t you go soak in the shower,” she says, turning back to her list. “That way you’ll be done by the time food gets here and we can—“

He cuts her off with his lips on hers, Donna’s brows raising as she’s caught off-guard, but she smiles soon after and drops her pen to cup his cheek as he deepens the kiss. They stay that way for a minute, his hands coming to rest on the tops of her thighs and she hooks an ankle around him to pull him even closer. He leans back slightly, his dimples popping out when he sees her face, and he leans back in to give her a quick succession of kisses. 

“I love being able to do that now,” he murmurs and he kisses her forehead before backing away entirely and going into the bathroom, leaving Donna smiling goofily to herself.

* * *

“I still can’t believe you’ve never seen The Goonies.”

“I’ve been busy the past couple decades.”

Donna pulls back the comforter and sits on the bed. “But it’s The _Goonies_ , Josh. It was practically required viewing in the late 80s.”

“Okay,” he says, sliding into the covers and pulling her close, “before we go down the age difference path, can we, you know, _not?_ ” 

Donna smirks and moves her legs to tangle with his under the covers. After they finished eating and doing laundry and Josh had started yelling at the newscasters, she had shut off the TV and dragged him to bed. It’s barely 9pm, but she’s exhausted after the 13 hour flight, and she just wants to use the waning hours of their vacation time to relax before reality smacks her awake in the morning. 

“You weren’t even old in the late 80s,” she says, her hand running up and down the scar on his chest. 

“Compared to you, I was,” he grumbles and she chuckles. 

“Well, if it helps, you shaved about 5 years off this week.” 

He smiles and sneaks his hand beneath her shirt to run across her back. “Remind me to send Sam a muffin basket or something.”

“I already scheduled a lunch next week for the three of us.”

“Perfect.”

Donna smiles and tucks herself into his chest, still tracing up and down the silver scar. She makes a mental note to make sure he refills his meds since she noticed he was low while they were gone, and to get him to a doctor for a physical. A year surviving on nothing but Red Bull and chips out of a vending machine had to have taken its toll and she’s never been able to shake that part of her that wants to take care of him. Which is why she’s so nervous to go back into the craziness. 

“Josh, how is this going to work tomorrow?”

“What do you mean?”

She moves to rest on her elbow, slightly above him, and keeps running her fingers up and down his chest in a calming motion. “Shouldn’t we set some rules or guidelines or something?”

His mouth ticks up in amusement. “Rules?”

She huffs and rolls onto her back. “We’ve kind of been living in a bubble here, Josh. It’s not really indicative of how real life will play out.”

He frowns. “How are you envisioning real life playing out?”

“Well,” she says, “for one, I envision _you_ going right back to your high blood pressure days leaving me to drop the ball on my new, very important, job because I’m too busy worrying about you.”

“Donna,” he sighs, but she’s not going to let him brush this off. 

“I’m serious, Josh. When was the last time you went to a doctor?” 

“Running a national campaign for presidency doesn't really offer up much personal time.”

“But that’s exactly what I’m talking about,” she says, sitting up fully now so she can look down at him. “And with the way we lost Leo, I just…”

“Hey,” he says and tugs on her hand. “I’m not gonna die from a heart attack.”

“You could.”

“I won’t.”

“How do you know?”

He smiles. “‘Cause I have you.” She rolls her eyes. “And I refuse to let this job take over my life like Leo did.” He rubs his thumb along her wrist. “Matt Santos is going to run a very different White House compared to Josiah Bartlet. He has two young kids, he’s not a workaholic, he’s a family man. And the fact that I have Sam as my deputy has already taken a lot off my plate. I trust him and I trust Lou. I can delegate easier knowing they’re with me.” 

“I can’t always be there to remind you to take care of yourself this time around,” she warns, poking him lightly in the chest. 

“I know,” he says quietly and grabs her hand. “And I know this won’t be easy, but knowing I have you, that I get to come home at the end of the day with _you?_ That already makes the hard days easier.”

Donna stares down at him, pouting a little. “When did you get so sweet? It’s hard to stay stern with you when you say things like that.”

Josh chuckles and pulls her back down onto his chest, resuming his earlier path up and down her back. “I’m quite something.”

“Yeah, you’re _something_ alright.” 

He runs his fingers into her hair and shifts her head back so he can see her face. “You have my word, Donnatella. Healthy eating habits and regular check-ups. Scout’s honor.” He salutes with his fingers and she smiles before rolling more on top of him and kissing him soundly. 

“I’m holding you to that, Joshua,” she murmurs and kisses him again. 

“Does that cover your rules?” he asks against her lips, his palm moving south to slip into the sweatpants she’s wearing. “Or are there more?”

“Well, there’s just the matter of this.”

“Matter of what?” he mumbles, his lips moving to her jaw. 

“ _This_ ,” she emphasizes, “the kissing and canoodling.”

“ _Canoodling_?” 

“I’m sure everyone’s figured it out by now, but we can’t do _this_ at the office,” she says as she moves to straddle him more comfortably. “It’s unprofessional.”

“Donna, I’m not gonna grope you in the middle of the Oval if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“You might,” she murmurs, tucking her hair over her shoulder and humming when he sneaks both hands into her pants. She grinds down onto him and smiles when he groans. 

“Fair point.” He squeezes her ass and rolls them over so he’s hovering above her. “So, no groping in the Oval.”

“No groping _anywhere_ ,” she amends, tugging on his hair. 

“I can’t make any promises,” he says, moving down her neck as his hands fumble with her sweats. He finally drags them off her legs and he grabs her bare thigh. “We’ll both have offices that lock.”

“Except your door that leads straight to the Oval Office.”

“So, we’ll keep it PG in the west wing.” 

She smirks and wraps her arms around his shoulders. “We’re keeping it PG everywhere, pumpkin patch.” She kisses the corner of his mouth. “Including right now. I’m exhausted.”

He groans as he flops down onto his side. “Thank God,” he sighs and she laughs. “I mean, I was working up the energy, but my heart just wasn’t going to be in it.”

She giggles again. “Come here,” she murmurs, hugging him to her tightly. When they’re both settled, Josh leans over to turn out the light and continues running his fingers through her hair, making her yawn sleepily as pats his chest. “We can figure the rest of it out as we go.”

He smiles and kisses her head. “I look forward to it,” he whispers. 

“Me, too,” she slurs, already on the cusp of sleep. “Love you.”

He kisses her forehead again and closes his eyes, feeling the happiest he’s ever felt in his life as he whispers that he loves her too before drifting off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> If you ever have the chance to go to Hawaii - DO IT. It’s one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. The only thing missing was my own Josh Lyman ;)


End file.
